Green Spirit and Narissa Set to Clash in Prix de la Grotte

A thrilling day of racing is ahead at ParisLongchamp, accompanied by domestic action from Ffos Las. The highly anticipated Prix de la Grotte at ParisLongchamp features a showdown between the exciting pair Green Spirit and Narissa. Green Spirit, trained by Christopher Head, made significant progress last season with four consecutive wins, including Group 3 and Group 2 victories. Although she was beaten by Diamond Necklace in the Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc Day, she sets the standard for her return under Maxime Guyon. Narissa, who has finished behind Green Spirit on three occasions, including in the Group 1, will need to have improved over the winter to close the gap. Both are currently 8/1 for the French 1000 Guineas. Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, who has won the last two renewals of this race, also fields Anashkaya, partnered with Christophe Soumillon. Evolutionist, who ran a superb race when third in the Group 1 Fillies' Mile, cannot be dismissed for trainer Karl Burke. All attention will be on Nighttime as he puts his Classic claims on the line in the Group 3 Prix de Fontainebleau. The Christopher Head-trained colt scored on three of his five starts as a two-year-old and finished the campaign with an excellent second behind Puerto Rico in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, making him the likely favorite. This step up to a mile is expected to suit him. Regal Resolve poses the main threat for Francis-Henri Graffard's yard, having won two of his three starts. Elastic, who claimed a Listed contest at Saint-Cloud last month, has a fitness edge over his rivals. A competitive field is expected for the Amroth Bay Static Caravan Sales Maiden Hurdle, featuring Doujadou and Into The Blue. Doujadou has shown promise and is expected to improve with racing, while Into The Blue is an interesting newcomer with a notable pedigree. The Sam Thomas-trained Knead A Win is top-rated and has solid claims if fit enough after an absence. The Group 3 Prix Noailles has a rich history of stellar winners, including Calandagan in 2024, and this year Spece Waltz is well-fancied for Andre Fabre. Map Of Stars and Marquisat are likely to be popular in the Listed Prix Lord Seymour, with James Doyle riding the former. On the domestic front, the progressive Manigod could be the one to beat in the Tommy Williams Memorial Handicap Hurdle at Ffos Las.